Exercise is the key to helping you lose weight

Many people make the mistake of thinking that the way to lose weight is to control what they eat – if only you could avoid those damned chocolate cream cakes, everything would be alright in the world! At the same time, these people often see thinner people scoffing those same foods and get very jealous: ‘why aren’t you fat by now if you eat like that?’

The answer, of course, is exercise. Exercise is a far more potent weapon against fat than changing your diet – it literally burns it off you. If you exercise enough, you can be burning more calories than you could ever hope to consume, leaving you free to fulfil that old diet promise of eating absolutely anything you want.

Sometimes people are put off exercising, believing that they don’t have the time or the money to join the gym or take some other form of regular exercise, but in reality it’s just not true. I’m sure you walk somewhere at some point in your day – jog instead. And you could no doubt manage a few sit-ups while you’re watching the TV of an evening. If you have a dog, take it for longer walks – this has the added bonus of making your dog very happy.

You see, the best forms of exercise are the ones you can do every day, like going up stairs instead of taking the lift, or parking towards the back of the car park when you go to the supermarket. These are easy changes to make that take very little time and effort, but can begin to pay huge dividends quite quickly when it comes to your weight. Then, once you’ve made that first step towards fitness, it’s much easier to find the energy and motivation to really go for it.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - A few easy exercises

The one thing that you need to remember when exercising or dieting, or when you are considering any type of  weight loss scheme, is to first consult with your doctor about the pros and cons of it.

This is especially important as you have (maybe) only just had your baby, and you will need to rest your body.

Although these days, extended bed rest is not advocated, it is nevertheless the height of folly to go and get on abike two days or even a week after giving birth.

The same thought process applies to taking long tiring extended walks, jogging, swimming strenuously, and

anything that will set you back from a full recovery from the birthing process.

There will be some easy exercises which you can do however, to help you keep yourself in shape. It can also help you to not to become too mired in the various daily needs and duties, which can all too easily overcome you and take you away from your own needs.

The best recourse before beginning though is most definitely to talk things over with your doctor. You will be able to find more information about it in an earlier section entitled “Talk with your doctor”.

On the other hand, even if you are a few months away from already having given birth to your baby, you might feel that you have no need to consult with your doctor. This is the wrong way to think.

If you are going to start an exercise regime, or even embark on a daily round of gentle exercises, you should still ideally consult with your doctor. Although the same reasons do not apply to you as to a mother who has only just given birth, you too need to be careful.

One thing to remember though, is that not everyone likes exercise, and not everyone can keep it sustained for any appreciable length of time.

If this is the case with you, and you find that you are one of those people who truly hate to take the time out of your day and exercise, there is one little thing that you should keep in mind. You are already working out every day, most of the time.

How does this work? Well, let’s take the everyday occurrence you have now, of looking after your baby. Unless you have a nanny or someone to help you, most of the time you will be looking after your baby on your own.

This means that you will be progressively lifting a heavy weight, for the foreseeable future, or until the little tyke learns how to walk.

Think about it ladies, that’s at least nine months if not twelve, where you will be doing weight training, because naturally enough, the times you spend carrying your baby won’t all be idle ones.

You will more than likely find yourself juggling a number of things, from cooking to cleaning to shopping. All of these things will come in handy in your desire to lose weight.

Then there’s the little fact of cleaning house, and generally looking after things. You might go to work, but isn’t it true that you also do some of the housework when you get home? Think of that as another method for you to lose some weight.

And if you’re a mother who goes to work, not to worry, there are still ways in which you can exercise without even realizing it, such as walking to work, or maybe even walking during your lunch hour maybe to get to your favorite restaurant.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - Ten easy recipes

Just to show you how easy it can be to eat healthily, even when you have the fulltime task of looking after your baby, I have listed below a few recipes (ten to be exact), which you can easily make.

In the least amount of time you will find that you can create a tasty meal, which is also healthy for you. Alright, so it won’t be cordon bleu, but then again, who can stretch to looking after a baby full-time as well as cooking cordon bleu!

1 Stir Fried Chicken


Preparation Time: 15 minutes
What you will need: 1 large boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
                              1 bunch Asparagus
                              1 medium Onion, sliced
                              2 tbsp Soy Sauce
                              3 cloves Garlic, minced
                              1 tbsp fresh Ginger, minced
                              1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
                              1 tbsp Oil
                              Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation: Wash and cube the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Cut the Asparagus into 1 inch long           pieces, discarding the very end of the stalk.

Take a large skillet and heat the oil. Add the onions and stir fry them. Add the asparagus soon   after adding the onions, and stir fry both over a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Add the chicken, ginger and the garlic and stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

Next add the vinegar, soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste, and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked.

You can serve this with a bowl of wild rice or couscous.

2 Baked Chicken


Preparation Time:    10 minutes preparation time + 90 minutes cooking time
What you will need: 6 Chicken Legs, cut in two
                              1 cup stoned Black Olives
                              1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
                              20-24 cloves Garlic, keep the skin
                              Olive Oil
                              Salt and Pepper
                              Fresh Basil, chopped (the dried stuff works just fine)

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350oF. Marinate the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a    roasting tin.

Make sure to keep the chicken pieces all on a single layer. Pack in tightly but don’t overlap if you can help it.

Spread out over the top of the tightly packed chicken, the olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves and a handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped.

Drizzle some of the olive oil over the top and place in the oven to bake. You can safely leave this dish to slow cook for about 90 minutes.

Serve hot, with a rice dish, pasta, or even with boiled new potatoes and greens.

3 Parmesan Chicken

Preparation Time:    15 minutes preparation time + 60 minutes cooking time
What you will need: 6 boneless Chicken Breasts

                               1 cup Breadcrumbs
                               1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
                               ½ cup melted Butter
                               1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
                               1 clove Garlic, minced
                               2 tbsp freshly chopped Parsley, (dried will also do)
                               Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:  First preheat your oven to 350oF. Wash the chicken breasts and leave them to dry while you  are preparing the other ingredients.

Next combine the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and the garlic in one bowl.

Take another bowl and combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper.

Then, dip each chicken breast first into the butter-Worcestershire mix, then into the breadcrumb- Parmesan mix.

Place each piece of chicken in a baking pan, single-layered. Place in the oven and bake for about 60 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

4 Baked Fish

Preparation Time:      10 minutes preparation time + 20 minutes cooking time
What you will need:   1 lb Fish Filets of your choice
                                 cup Breadcrumbs
                                 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
                                 1 tbsp Butter
                                 tsp fresh Basil, chopped (dried works fine)
                                 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg, (dried as well)
                                 A squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice
                                 Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:  Preheat your oven to 450oF. Next, combine in a bowl the cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, chopped basil, grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper.

Take a baking dish and use the butter to grease the bottom and sides of the dish. Line half of the cheese-breadcrumb mixture along the bottom of the dish.

Next, place the fish fillets over the cheese-breadcrumb mixture. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the fish fillets, and then cover with the remainder of the cheese-breadcrumb mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

The time taken for this will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. When the fish is fully cooked, it should flake very easily.

This tastes good on its own, or with a bed of baby spinach leaf salad. It also goes well with rice, or alternately with a few steamed greens and potatoes.

5 Quick Salmon Bake


Tuna steaks also work very well with this recipe.

Preparation time:      10 minutes preparation time + 20 minutes cooking time
What you will need:  4 steaks of Salmon
                               2 Onions, sliced
                               4 cloves of Garlic, crushed
                               1 Lime
                               Salt and Pepper to taste
                               Aluminum foil

Preparation:  Preheat the oven to 250oF. Wash the salmon steaks and set aside to dry while you are getting theother ingredients ready.

Take a piece of foil for each salmon steak, about three times the width of the steak. Lay one steak per each foil sheet about roughly in the middle.

Divide the onions and the garlic between the four steaks, and season with salt and pepper.

Fold the foil over the salmon, bringing the edges together in the middle to create a small rolled up handle. The salmon should now lie comfortably in a foil pocket.

Place these foil pockets in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.

Remove from the oven when the salmon is fully cooked, being careful to avoid the steam trapped within the foil pocket.

You can serve this garnished with either lemon or lime, over a bed of wild rice, couscous, or ideally with risotto.

6 Creamy Spinach Fettuccine


Preparation Time:      15-20 minutes
What you will Need: 1 lb Fettuccine
                                1 lb fresh Spinach, (frozen can also be used)
                                4 cloves of Garlic, sautéed
                                ½ cup of half-and-half

                                ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
                                ¼ cup fresh Basil
                                 1 tbsp Olive Oil
                                 Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation: Prepare the fettuccine according to the instructions on the package. While the fettuccine is cooking you can prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor, and chop coarsely to create a creamy sauce.

When the fettuccine is cooked, you can toss the creamy spinach sauce with the fettuccine to obtain a delicious dish.

Season with salt and pepper, pine nuts and some chopped basil if you like before serving. This is a meal on its own, or served with some crusty French bread, or even Bruschetta.

7 Quick Stir-Fry Couscous

Preparation Time:    10 minutes preparation time + 10 minutes cooking time.
What you will need: 1 lb Couscous
                               ½ cup Mushrooms, quartered
                               ¼ cup Bell Peppers, diced
                               ¼ cup Broad beans, chopped
                               ¼ cup Ham, diced
                               ¼ cup Bacon, coarsely chopped
                                1 large Onion finely chopped
                                Salt to taste
                                1 tbsp Oil

Preparation: Cook the Couscous according to the packet instructions while you are preparing the rest of your ingredients.

Take a large skillet and heat the oil, add the onions and lightly sauté until a light brown color.

Add the ham and the bacon and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Next add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and beans. Stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

When this is done, add the cooked couscous to the mixture, a little at a time so that it will mix in well with the couscous.

Serve with a side of grilled prawns, or any other grilled meat for a tasty treat.

8 Black Bean Chili

This is one of those dishes that you can leave on the stove and forget about until the time is right for you to serve the meal. It takes about 3 hours to slow cook, and about 10 minutes to prepare.

Preparation Time:    10 minutes preparation time + 3 hours cooking time
What you will need: 2 cans Black Beans, not drained
                               1 large Onion, diced
                               6 Cloves Garlic, minced (or 2 tbsp of bottled garlic)
                               4 Roma Tomatoes, diced (these taste better)
                               1 small can Tomato paste
                               1 tbsp Cumin
                                Salt to taste

Preparation:  Prepare your ingredients and place everything into a crock pot over a medium-low fire. When theingredients begin to boil, you can then reduce the heat to low.

Leave the chili to simmer on low heat for about 3 hours. Serve hot over a bed of steamed rice, or with a side of mash potatoes, or even a loaf of crusty bread. It’s as easy as that!

9 Cheesy Bean dish

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
What you will need: 1 tbsp Oil
                               1 large Onion, chopped
                               2 Celery stalks
                               2 cups/ 1 can Lentils
                               2 cups/ 1 can Kidney beans
                               2 large Tomatoes, diced
                               2 tsp dried Rosemary
                               Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation: Take a large skillet and heat the oil, add the onions and cook until they are soft. This should takeabout 3-4 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cook until the beans become soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top, and heat only until the cheese melts.

10 Easy Pizza

When all is said and done, sometimes you still don’t have the time or the inclination to do anything other than

order a pizza. A great healthy alternative however, is to create your own pizza (more or less).

All you need is a pre-made pizza base, and fresh, healthy toppings of your choice. Below is the recipe just in case you change your mind and leave off dialing the takeaway number you know by heart!

Preparation time:      10 minutes preparation time + 15 minutes cooking time (about the same time it takes to get your pizza delivered!)
What you will need: 1 store-bought Pizza base
                               1 can of finely chopped Tomatoes
                              ¼ cup Mozzarella cheese
                              ¼ cup combined of two additional cheeses
                               Toppings of your choice such, as pepperoni, ham, vegetables etc.

Preparation: Preheat your 350oF. Place the pizza base to cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, or according to package instructions.

Prepare the rest of your ingredients while the base is initially cooking. When the base is a light golden brown, take it of the oven.

You will first need to evenly spread the tomato sauce over the base. Then spread the grated mozzarella, as well as the cheeses, over the sauce.

Next you can add the toppings of your choice and place the pizza in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - Five great ways to burn those inches

There are more than enough ways in which you can lose weight, and of these I have named five of what I consider to be the best methods to lose weight. You don’t have to do all of them, or even any of them to lose weight, but it can help you.

To that extent, I have listed below the methods which I consider to be good, and after that I have gone through each suggestion, in some detail. Just remember that these aren’t the only manner in which you can lose weight, but it can give you a good head start.

1. Breastfeeding

2. Exercise

3. Walking

4. Healthy eating habits

5. De-stressing

Breastfeeding

Not everyone knows this, but breastfeeding your baby can help you to lose weight. Although, having said that, with the positive glut of books and magazines available nowadays on pregnancy and what to do after you have your baby, I wouldn’t be surprised if more people knew about it than imagined!

That said, let me just say that breastfeeding your new baby is not an option for many women. This can either be for personal or medical reasons, but if you’re not going to be breastfeeding don’t worry about it.

If you do have the option to breastfeed your baby, then you might want to take it, as it provides an invaluable

experience for you to bond with your baby.

About breastfeeding and losing weight however, that is another matter entirely, and the reason why you are here reading this section, so let’s start at the beginning.

To begin with then, you should know that your body gains weight during the pregnancy not only to nurture your baby while he is still in your womb, but also in preparation for when your baby is born and you begin to nurse him.

This is your body’s way of storing up on energy so that when the time comes to breastfeed your baby, you have a more than ample source of energy available for you to carry out this amazing feat.

Apparently, a woman who breastfeeds her baby burns up about 500-700 calories per day. That’s a lot of calories when you come to think about it.

If however, you are looking to breastfeeding to help you lose weight, don’t. For one thing, it won’t happen

immediately, and for another thing, you will also need a healthy diet to help you lose weight. Breastfeeding alone won’t do it.

That said, it is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of your body’s natural method of dispersing of the stored fat.

Gentle Exercise

One of the best ways to get some exercise in when you don’t have the time is to do it in bouts of about five to ten minutes. This can help the new mother with no time on her hands to get the exercise she needs, without having to strain her already precious time.

This is also another good way to keep you from stressing unduly over the fact that you aren’t getting enough

exercise, because let’s face it, most of us can spare about five to ten minutes of time at odd hours during the day, whereas to give over a full thirty minutes to exercise is just asking for too much.

Just remember to take it easy the first few weeks immediately after giving birth and to ask your doctor when the best time will be for you to begin exercising in earnest.

Until that time you can always do a little bit of gentle exercising which is not really exercising, but more an

extension of the work that you normally do. And one of the best methods for this is the one which I have mentioned immediately after this, the section on “Walking”.

That said, if you really think about it you will find that just by doing some of the normal day-to-day activities, you are burning fat off your body. The thing then which comes in is to also regulate your diet.

Walking

This is more or less one of the best methods for you to use, especially in the beginning when you want to lose to weight. It’s not overly strenuous nor is it overly taxing. You can do it whenever you want, and you can take your baby along with you.

You can also probably find a group of other mom’s doing the same thing, which is a recommendation all on its own. After all, it’s not everyday that you can get a little bit of exercise, keep your little one occupied and have some adult company at the same time.

On these days you will find that you need to do something else to distract baby and get in that much needed

exercise.

On the subject of walking though, let me just say a few words before we move on. I’ve covered most of what needs to be said throughout the book, but here is one more little morsel for you to chew on.

You don’t need to stick to gentle sedentary walks to help you lose weight. You can also “power walk”. In this way you can lose pounds faster, and it does become a healthier option for you to pursue.

And not to worry, power walking doesn’t entail you walking like a frenzied maniac for half mile, pushing your

baby’s stroller in front of you. Instead, one of the better methods of getting in some power walking is by taking it easy to begin with, then gearing up and giving into a burst of energy for about three to four minutes, then going back once more to your sedentary walking.

Oh yes, and make sure that if you are taking baby along with you, that you take into account the cumbersome stroller’s capabilities when you are power walking. Or, if you find that this style of walking suits you, you could invest in a jogging stroller instead.

To get any health benefits from the power walking however, you do need to do about five to eight bouts of it. Since you are taking it gently in between bouts it shouldn’t be that difficult, although to begin with you might find that you want to take it slow.

Power walking aside, there are other ways that you can utilize the effects of walking, and these include everyday things such as parking the car a fair distance away from the supermarket so that you are forced to walk there and back.

Or if you go to work, then you might want to park your car some distance away and walk into work, and other little things like that.

These don’t take all that much time and effort on your part, and you don’t have to section out large chunks of your time to do this either, since most of these activities are ones that you do on a regular basis anyway.

Healthy (and sensible) eating

I’ve covered this more or less in detail throughout the book, and also in the section marked “Dietary habits” so I won’t take up too much of your time and space here.

Suffice it to say however, that by following a good, and sensible eating regime, you will aid yourself in losing

weight. And the best part is that a sensible eating regime can become a normal part of your life, or in other words, it can become a lifestyle habit and not part of a weight loss plan.

The benefit of this being that you not only get to lose weight just by eating sensibly, but you also have a good

fighting chance at keeping it off long term. And this is where most of us fall down.

We get back into shape, losing pounds and inches off our body, then we go off our diet and fall back into a steady downward spiral of weight gain.

Obviously having worked so hard to achieve the weight loss in the first place, the last thing that you want to do is to have it all come back again.

And when that happens, it becomes more difficult to lose the weight, because hey, hadn’t you already played this particular record before? Hadn’t you already contrived and connived to lose all that weight once before?

It then becomes an uphill task to get yourself back on the weight loss track again, and this time because you re fighting it tooth and nail, you will find that your body is also fighting it tooth and nail.

So I have just one thing to say in conclusion of this section. Make your weight loss-inspired dietary changes a lifestyle habit, and not a temporary thing.

Don’t be looking forward to the day when you can stop dieting and go back to your junk food days, because I can tell you now, it’s not going to do you any good in the long run.

If junk foods and other similar foods which are “bad” for you, are your guilty little secrets, then don’t cut them out of your diet completely. This is just paving the way for craving induced disaster.

Build these into your regular diet so that you’re not deprived of them, and so that you get these “treats” once in a while, just enough to keep to you happy and diet on track.

Lose the stress – take a nap

That’s right, lose the stress. The best thing that you can do for yourself would be to shake off whatever stress

you’re having as this is detrimental to your health. And at the same time, remember to take a nap once in a while.

Besides working miracles on a tired mind and body, a ten to fifteen minute catnap will do wonders for any

problems that seem overwhelming.

Get your priorities straight. If you’re fighting a losing battle with stress and sleep, but you’re forcing yourself to stay awake because the house needs to be cleaned up, then make a decision.

Stay awake, get progressively short-tempered and stressed and have a clean house; or take a nap, feel positively refreshed and bursting with life, and be able to clean house later when you have nothing more important to do.

It’s a choice ladies, that I’m afraid you will most likely have to face. The best choice of course would be to take a nap and get to the house cleaning later, but old habits die hard and you might find yourself unable to sleep surrounded by all that clutter.

In which case, my best advice would be to go to a room which is relatively uncluttered, have a good nap, and come back refreshed to tackle the house and whatever else life throws at you with a newer outlook and a spring in your step. So, basically, lose the stress – take a nap. The title of this section says it all.

Dietary habits

This is the part I think where most of us fail. Somewhere, somehow it has been pounded into our minds that to diet means to starve ourselves of the good things in life.

It takes time and effort to change this thought process around, and to replace it with the realities of a good, healthy diet.

So here are the main facts about dieting which you should know about, You don’t need to starve yourself in order to diet and lose weight; in fact this is probably the very last thing that you should be doing.

You don’t need to deny yourself of your favorite foods; on the contrary a treat now and then of your most guiltridden food can be quite an incentive to keep at it.

Going along with the no-starvation theme, you might want to look at eating meals more frequently. This means that you will need to eat small meals at more frequent intervals.

Junk food is not considered a food group. It is neither a major food group nor is it a minor food group. Junk foods are what are known as “empty calories”. They fill you up without doing any perceivable good for you, and in fact, they can do great damage to you.

Eating right doesn’t mean eating only one type of food. The food pyramid exists for a reason – to show you the path to eating properly balanced meals.

The ideas I have given below are just that, ideas. They are meant neither as rock solid instructions nor are they the be-all and end-all of a person’s diet.

Proper care should always be taken when going on a diet, and consulting with your doctor on what type of diet suits you best, will be to your advantage.

It is also true that you will be able to better formulate a diet that will help you to lose weight in a manner in which your body can safely handle it.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - A good diet is always a must

Along with exercise, this is the single most beneficial thing that you can do to help you lose weight. Unfortunately it is also a fad word that many people toss around all too casually, and for some people it can even be a four-letter word if you get my drift.

The reason for this is because there are just too many connotations and bad memories associated with the word “diet” for many people to take to it willingly.

For me at least, the word “diet” used to conjure up such nightmares as starvation and deprivation of all the foods which I hold so dear. Luckily with a new positive outlook on losing weight, the visions associated with going on a diet were changed.

Now whenever I hear the word “diet”, I think healthy foods and nutrients all rolled into one. I think of a good meal which includes all the necessary foods, and I think of fruits for snacks instead of fizzy drinks and cookies.

That was the spiel. Now for the reality. That is most definitely what I visualize whenever I hear someone talking about a diet, but the sad truth of the matter is that I’m not a saint and therefore I fall, many a time, and painfully.

Yes, I follow my own advice and eat healthy meals, and yes, I do eat lots of fruit, in fact, I prefer fruit, over cookies and fizzy drinks when I’m hungry between meals.

But there are times when being good and proper just don’t cut it. I have to confess that I do go back to my old bad eating habits, but not for long, and only once in a while. At these times I satisfy my cravings for high-fat, highcalorie foods and damn the consequences!

This is the method that works best for me as I find that I cannot sustain a rigid imposed diet for an extended length of time. And this is what you need to do when deciding on a diet for yourself. You need to find one that works for you.

One that works with your strengths as well as your weaknesses; and one that will take into account your busy schedule, and which will be forgiving when the schedule intrudes upon it.

This might sound a like a lot to ask from a simple diet, but I prefer to think of it more along the lines of a change of lifestyle instead. Because really, this is what you need to do.

You need to change your lifestyle to suit the body that you would ideally like to have, and unfortunately for us this doesn’t include your favorite takeout or pizza every night!

In other words, you need to learn to eat in a healthy manner for just about every meal. You will also need to

reprogram your thinking to take in the fact that eating healthily, doesn’t have to be a big hassle.

It is entirely possible to eat a healthy meal without having to resort to using every single appliance in your kitchen.

I have included some easy recipes in the section funnily enough entitled “Ten Easy Recipes”!

And if you look closely enough you will find that these recipes tell a story in and of themselves. Just because you should be eating healthily, it doesn’t mean you need to pull out all the stops and weigh, measure, cut and chop your every food to a certain exact guideline.

It also doesn’t mean that you have to use only the healthiest of ingredients when you’re cooking, nor does it mean that you will have to stay away from such things as oil.

Although most fitness gurus will recommend this option to you, I believe that moderation is the key. Anything in large quantities is bad for you, and this applies to the use of cooking oil as well. Use these in moderation and along with a well balanced meal you will find that it is not so bad for you.

Use it in excess, and you will find yourself suffering for it. Or if you personally feel that some foods are just not good for you (like oil), you can make a concession to these and use healthy substitutes, or do away with them completely.

Just remember though that just as an excess of certain foods is bad for you, so is a shortage of certain foods not good for you. Moderation is most definitely the key here, and is the one thing that you should allow to dominate your thoughts when it comes to dieting.

When you begin on this lifestyle change you might find that after a time it becomes difficult to keep it up; that you can’t find new and inventive ways to cook the same old thing; that you can’t come up with new menu ideas.

Having to cope with all of that on top of having to do everything else is a surefire way to lose your interest in your diet altogether.

So before we part ways for this section, I will leave you with this little piece of advice: you don’t need to come up with a new and exciting menu everyday.

The old foods work because we like them, because they taste good, and because they do the job they were

intended to do, which is to fill us up.

Leave the new and exciting menu items for those days when you have the time to wrap your head around it, when you have the energy to do it, and when you feel in the mood to do it.

There’s nothing more dampening to a good home cooked meal than bad tempers and soggy, burned or overcooked food because you weren’t in the mood to cook.

Use the old standbys, that’s what they’re there for, just change things around here and there so you don’t get a consistent menu of the same items day in and day out.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - Exercise does help

There are any number of us who hate not only the thought of exercising but also everything that goes along withit. Or in other words, we hate exercising! This means that we will do whatever we can to get out of exercising.

This is all well and good if you like and are comfortable within your own skin, but it is a sad fact that if you want to change, want to become healthier, or want to lose weight, exercise is a must. It should be on your horizon day after day, and although this can sound like a life sentence to some of us (myself included!), if you go about it the right way, it needn’t be so bad.

The first thing that you want to do is decide how much weight you want to lose, if it’s not much, then gentle exercise will probably suit you fine coupled with a healthy diet.

If you need to lose more than a couple of pounds however, and this will be the case for most new mothers, you will find that you need to go at it slightly stronger than you normally would have.

To paraphrase a famous line, to exercise or not, that is the question. As I have stated before you don’t need to exercise to lose weight, it just helps – a lot. But first you will need to get the green light from your doctor on whether to exercise, and when is the time for you to start.

Once these things are in place you can then go about finding out what type of exercise is best for you. Do you want a gentle exercise that you can fit in and around your daily schedule, or would you prefer something that is slightly more strenuous. It all depends on you.

If you have nightmares about school and the humiliating and excruciating episodes of gym class, there is no need to worry. The one thing that is entirely optional for you is a trip to the gym.

If on the other hand you feel that going to the gym is a better option for you to help you lose weight, then by all means do so, but remember to first get your doctor’s advice on what you should and should not do.

For instance you might not want to go on the exercise bikes for some weeks or months following the birth of your baby!

These are very simple exercise which can be done at home by yourself, and some of them can even be done with the help of baby if you so wish! These are great if all you want is a simple workout that will keep you fit.

It’s also great if you have limited time to spend on your exercising, as they can be done in the comfort of your home. If on the other hand, you feel the need to get out and about you can always try something that falls in between going to the gym and staying at home.


A few ideas, include,

• Yoga

• Dance

• Pilates

• Aerobics Class

• Tai Chi

• Karate – if you want something livelier

• Jogging/ Walking with a group of friends

• Or if you wanted to you could always join an exercise group. There are plenty around that cater specifically to new mothers.

• Or if you want, you can find an exercise buddy with whom you can do your workouts. It’s always nicer if
 there is someone else around to share the joys of exercising!

These are a great place for you to start with and you will find that they also provide you with some adult company and adult conversation. This in turn can be a great bonus for you, as spending all day every day talking baby-talk is not good for you peace of mind.

Weight Loss After Pregnancy - Your baby doesn't understand your desire to lose weight

This is one thing that you need to take in almost from the beginning…wait, didn’t I already say that for something else? Yes, I did, and you can be assured that I will be saying it again later on in the book as well for something else.

This is because there are some things that you need to look at before jumping head first into the world of weight loss.

On the subject at hand, let’s take a look at how difficult or easy it is to try and lose weight when you have the demands of small baby to contend with.

I can just hear the choruses of “Difficult!” or “Are you out of your mind!” or even “Who has the time to sit down and think about these things!” going through your mind right about now.

And that’s perfectly fine, I won’t even get offended by the “Are you out of your mind!” bit! But really speaking, I have to say that each and every one of your thoughts right now on the subject are probably to some extent true, both the good thoughts and the negative ones.

The negative ones for instance have their root in your past experience with trying to get anything done, on time, and in a sane manner.

If you’ve also only just had your baby, you might feel that it is beyond you at the moment to even think about losing weight.

That’s also fine; you picked up this book so that means that you have some interest in it, and by reading it, you will find that when the time comes when you want to lose weight, you will be ready for it.

For those of you who want to lose weight, are ready for it, but have too much on your plate right now, I urge you to read the book further, I have included as best as I can, a number of things that you can do without having to resort to a special weight loss regime.

This won’t make you lose weight at a fast or regular rate, but you will lose some weight, and best of all, you will also find that just by doing a few of these things at least, you will begin to feel better about yourself.

The main thing to remember here though, is that no matter what your ultimate outcome is, whether you decide to go on a weight loss course of action or not, your baby won’t really understand either way.

Her needs will always come first, and in this you will find that your own needs will have to take a backseat.

Sometimes it just won’t be possible for you to eat regular meals, at regular times. It will also be impossible for you to get any amount of proper sleep.

You will find that sometimes you are so swamped with looking after your baby, that you have no time or energy left over for yourself. This is a very normal occurrence, especially if you have no one else with whom you can share the responsibilities of looking after her.

Whatever the case though, you will find that no matter how good your intentions are, that you will fail. This is

alright, just don’t become discouraged.

You can’t control every aspect of your life no matter how hard you try, and this becomes especially true when you throw a small bundle of joy into the mix.

Something else that you will also want to look at is how much time and effort you can put in to your weight loss regime. I went through this in the earlier section as well so I won’t go into it here again.

Just as long as you know exactly what you’re up against, and the ways that you can get around it, you should be on your way to losing those post pregnancy pounds and inches.

Choosing The Right Diet For You

There are so many different and varied diets floating around today that it can be quite difficult to make a decision regarding which one is right for you when you feel it’s time to lose weight. Some diets emphasize low fat while others insist low calories are the way to go. Still yet, other diet gurus are adamant that in order to meet your weight loss goals you must cut out all forms of carbohydrates.

There are so many different and varied diets floating around today that it can be quite difficult to make a decision regarding which one is right for you when you feel it’s time to lose weight. Some diets emphasize low fat while others insist low calories are the way to go. Still yet, other diet gurus are adamant that in order to meet your weight loss goals you must cut out all forms of carbohydrates. One diet seems to combine factors from at least two other well known diets with claims to produce an optimum fat burning weight loss program. Then there are the various other diets that have circulated around the world for years with numerous success stories such as the cabbage soup diet and the cider vinegar diet. Which diets really work and more importantly; which diet is right for you?

One of the most important factors you must consider when contemplating any diet plan is whether you will learn how to eat healthy and nutritionally sound through the plan. Unfortunately, a number of different diets that boast incredible results do so through nutritionally bankrupt methods. Often referred to as fad diets, these weight loss programs encourage you to indulge in eating habits that can do more harm than good.

Many weight loss programs promise almost instantaneous results and for awhile at least; it seems as though your weight loss dreams may have finally come true through the presence of this type of diet. Then the sad reality sets in. You realize there is no possible way you can stay on this diet for the rest of your life. This is an important factor to consider; because ideally you should be looking for a healthy weight loss and maintenance program not a diet. Although a very low-calorie, high or liquid diet or even a diet that only lasts for a few days may allow you to initially lose some weight, you will inevitably find that your weight loss problems recur when a vengeance at a later point. Instead of looking for a miracle cure, look for a weight loss program that can help you to achieve your goals on a permanent basis.

For those of us who would prefer to avoid exercise like the plague, any weight loss program that promises we can reach our goals without that dreaded E word is a lifesaver. Unfortunately, long term weight loss simply isn’t possible without taking part in a sensible exercise routine. Sad, but true.

When considering engaging in any weight loss program or diet, always ask yourself the following questions 1. Will I learn to take part in a healthy, nutritionally sound eating plan through this diet? 2. Is this a diet I can stick with long term? and 3. Does this diet combine sensible eating with moderate exercise?

When you find a diet or weight loss program that meets all of these conditions, you know that you have found the right diet for you. As with any diet, it’s always a good idea to check with your physician before engaging in any weight loss program.

By: brown Michael

15 Highly Effective Ways To Lose Weight Fast

Want to lose weight fast? It's easy to say goodbye to 10 pounds of unwanted fat with these easy diet tips. Just pay attention to what you eat and be sure to have good tasting, fresh and healthy food including snacks, fill up on vegetables and keep your taste buds happy with fruit.

No need to make sacrifices! Just follow these simple guidelines to lose your first 10 pounds, last 10 pounds or give your weight loss program a boost when it seems to have stuttered to a halt. This is a balanced and flexible plan that you can use for as long as you want.

1. Keep a note of everything that you eat and drink. You do not need to estimate calories. Just write down what it was that you had and the approximate quantity. You will find that being more aware of what you are eating helps you to plan healthy meals and snacks.

2. Halve your intake of all pure or added fats. This means using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes; half the usual amount of mayonnaise or sauce on your salad; and half the oil in the frypan every time.

3. Limit treats containing sugar to three times per week. This includes chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc.

4. Include a lower fat source of protein at most meals: chicken, fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt. Have eggs, nuts and red meat occasionally but not every day.

5. Plan at least one lunch and dinner every week without meat or cheese. Build those meals around whole grains, vegetables and beans to increase fiber and reduce fat.

6. Reduce the fat content in your milk products. If you are currently drinking whole milk, reduce to 2% fat. From 2% reduce to 1%. Choose lower fat cheese and yogurt. When you buy yogurt, also check that it does not contain sugar.

7. Have at least two servings of fruit every day. This can be for dessert or snacks. Choose fruit that is in season.

8. Drink water instead of sodas, juices, milky drinks or alcohol. Avoid diet soda - the sweet taste only encourages you to crave sugar. Hot water with a slice of lemon can be very refreshing in the morning.

9. Include at least two servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner. If you are getting hungry, have more.

10. Eat slowly. The body is slow to register when you are full and it is easy to eat too much if you are racing through your meals.

11. Grated carrot makes a great snack. You will find that a grated carrot is much more filling than a whole carrot. Strange but true.

12. Use whole grains wherever possible. The fiber will give you a fuller feeling and also help your digestion.

13. Choose food that you can chew. Again, this will increase your fiber intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied, too. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make sure it is chunky.

14. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your shopping, too - make a list of what you need and stick to it. If you just grab something when you are feeling hungry, you will probably choose high calorie food.

15. Always switch off the TV when you eat. That includes snacks as well as meals. Studies have proved that we eat larger portions in front of the TV, probably because we are much less aware of what we are eating. When you eat, only eat if you want to lose weight fast.

By: brown Michael

Beating Food Cravings

Do you often find yourself giving in to cravings and completely wrecking your efforts to lose weight or maintain your healthy eating habits? Before you uncontrollably grab for those doughnuts or chips, read this article and learn how you can easily overcome those cravings by using a few simple strategies.

Everyone, regardless of how disciplined they are with their diet, will from time to time fall victim to cravings for one food item or another. For people trying to lose weight, these cravings are even more of a challenge to deal with than for someone simply maintaining their weight. Regardless of whether or not you are trying to lose weight however, cravings can be the one thing that makes you break your normal dietary habits and overdo the calories you usually try to do without.

Most people know that getting some kind of exercise and eating healthy, low-fat foods is the key to maintaining good health, but with the hectic and hurried schedules so many people have these days, sometimes eating right and getting exercise can be easier said than done. The best way to insure against dietary disaster when you do get those cravings throughout the day is to plan ahead and use a little strategy.

For one thing, try to plan 5 to 6 small meals with one to be eaten around every 3 hours of the day and make it a point not to miss any of them. It takes an average of 2 ½ hours for the human body to digest a meal, so by the time you start to feel a craving coming on, it’s almost time for your next meal anyway.

Make it a point to drink plenty of water. Quite often, feelings of hunger between meals are really your body trying to signal thirst. By keeping a bottle of water with you all day and making it a point to take constant “sips” throughout the day, you will keep hydrated, feel better, and eliminate one common cause for cravings to happen.

When you are at home, always try to keep some fresh fruit on hand. If you are hit with a craving, fruit is a better choice than cake or chips. Also, make a fat-free dip and cut up some fresh veggies like carrots and celery and keep them in the fridge. This will give you another quick and healthy snack that you can just grab and eat during a craving.

Never go to a party, a meeting, or any event where there will be food available on an empty stomach. This will set you right up to over eat when you get there. Always eat a small meal or at least eat a good, healthy snack before you go as this will help to stop cravings from hitting you while there.

If there are certain snack foods that you really enjoy, don’t try to completely cut them out. You will only overindulge in them when you can’t control the urge to have them later. Plan these snacks into your day, and just make them snacks that you have once in a while and in moderate amounts when you do.

Remember that just because certain food items are fat-free does not mean they are calorie free. When turning to fat free snacks, be careful of how many calories they contain and adjust your portions accordingly. It is very easy to assume fat-free is “safe” and go way overboard on them.

The next time you are hit with cravings, remember these little guidelines and you will be able to deal with them without ruining your efforts to maintain healthy eating habits.

By: brown Michael

Tips to Help Lose Weight

When it comes to shedding a few extra pounds it may not be as difficult as you once first thought. However with the huge range of slimming products and pills on the market today many don't know where to start.

This may seem obvious but the best thing you can do is start eating healthy foods. Eating healthy means you have to monitor and watch the foods that you eat. Many people think eating less is the answer but the real solution is to eat the right kind of foods. As an example a portion of chips or fries could easily be replaced by an apple or some other fruit, cutting down on any foods with high calories will certainly help.

If you are unsure exactly what healthy food is you could do a search on the internet, there are hundreds of great sites out there with lots of healthily meals and cooking instructions. Try to find meals you like and then replace it with one of your unhealthy meals. Once you start to look about you will find there is thousands of different meals to try and something for every taste.

As well as eating healthy meals taking regular exercise is also essential help lose weight. Exercise is very important as it helps your body burn off calories. If you haven't done any exercise in a while it is very important to take things slowly at first, you don't want to pull a muscle or damage your body in any way. If you don't at present have an exercise plan or program or don't know where to start it is a good idea to find a free instructional workout video on one of the popular video sites like google or youtube.

When exercising you can use special equipment such as weights and exercise balls but it doesn't have to cost a lot of money, although many people enjoy going to a club you can just as easily exercise at home using the things found in your house such as the stairs to do step ups on.

When it comes to exercising many people are just plain lazy and require some kind of motivation, if you have any friends or a partner see if they are interested in working out with you. Keeping a log or journal is also a good idea; you can even use a online blog. Keeping a track of your progress can help boost your confidence as you see your weight dropping.

By: brown Michael

Weight Loss Made Easy

Weight loss is a major problem in U.S. Every day there is a formula or a new method to loose excess weight or to get rid of obesity. There have been scientific interventions in midst of natural ways of loosing weight. Many people in US follow different methods to keep themselves happy.

The health experts recently mentioned the only loosing of weight can be done through natural process. There are people who intake weight loss tablets or medicines, this can create a huge misunderstanding within the system of body and can really carry a lot of negative implications as one starts aging.

The best remedy for the weight loss is through natural process, this was the basic conclusion by the experts. Natural process of weight loss comes with understanding your body and really taking to heart that you need to reduce weight for your own sake and your body’s sake.

Before going to natural way of losing weight or weight loss method, it is best to take consultation from your personal health expert, taking suggestions from him or her for the best way to go around in losing the excess weight.

Some of the methods that many health experts suggest for losing weight is watching the diet, exercising and drinking lot of water. Health experts once came to say that, drinking 2-3 bottles of water daily can reduce obesity in no time, people have not been able to grasp that well, but water really plays a great affect in keeping one fit and healthy.

Obesity is an illness and some times it is psychologically in the head. It is important to remove any negativity from the head about your obesity and move on to having a healthy life style. Most people in U.S are suffering the problems of obesity for the very reason of being obese and not ever being able to come to a normal lifestyle. People need to really take it serious and to heart, that obesity is just a illness in head and once people decide to lose weight by proper implications than it is easy to lose weight in no time.

Losing weight is not difficult, it is an easy method. Losing weight involves, taking care of diet, taking care of intake on calories, drinking to the most 2- 3 bottles of water every day and exercising. These are the best methods to lose weight and gain confidence about your self.

Major observation given in losing the weight is watching the intake on calories every day. People have no balance on what they are eating every day. Many testimonials of obese people who have lost weight have said that, they never maintained their calorie levels daily, they had no control over it and they kept eating till they were tired. But once they started maintaining a diary on the intake of calories they have in a day that changed the whole perspective for them. They also made a point of exercising for one hour in a day, which is said to be more than enough period to lose on extra fats in a day.

By: brown Michael

How to Lose Weight Quick

When you want to lose weight, knowing how to lose weight quick is one of the keys to your success. Whether you decide on a diet that has major changes or to incorporate serious exercise workouts into your daily routines, you want to see the weight come off quickly. Sometimes there’s an event or outfit that you want to wear for a specific date or time and knowing how to lose the weight quick is paramount.

It doesn’t matter if you are starting a diet or exercise plan for the first or 100th time. The point is that you want to know how to lose weight quick so that you can get rid of the unwanted fat and pounds that you’ve gained. The good news is that there are many ways that you can learn how to lose weight quick. The key is to find the right program for your lifestyle, body type and metabolism. Once you find that key, knowing how to lose weight quick is in the bag.

Believe it or not, your primary care physician may be one of the best places to start in your search for how to lose weight quick. Your doctor can refer you to a nutritionist who can take into consideration how much weight you have to lose and what eating program that you can start right away to lose the most weight possible in both a quick and safe manner.

The good thing about consulting with your doctor is that he or she will help you to avoid those unsafe quick weight loss gimmicks. You know the ones that pull water from your body but don’t teach you how to lose the fat or how to keep the weight off that you do lose.

It is important for you to understand that while there are lots of programs that teach you how to lose weight quick without exercise, however the real good ones will tell you include exercise along with your lose weight fast plan. Why is it so important?

When you include exercise in your weight loss goals it will help you to kick your metabolism into a higher gear. This in turn means you will burn fat faster and more regularly.  It also means when you reach your ideal weight goal, you will keep the weight off and have a much healthier body all the way around.

Sometimes the pressure of trying to lose weight quickly can be traumatic. Try to avoid the pressure of short term weight loss ordeals.  You can do this by practicing good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle on a regular basis. Then when those special occasions come around, you’ll be in your best shape for them.

Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t maintain optimum weight at all times because there are ways available that can help you to lose weight quickly when you need to. The most important aspect is that you treat your body with respect.  It’s important for you to understand that you only get one body, which you need to care for as best you can.

Learning how to lose weight quick correctly is a lesson that provides benefits and rewards that can last a lifetime.

By: brown Michael

Losing Weight Without Starving Yourself

There are many ways to lose weight without drastically cutting down on diet. Many people who are overweight get discouraged when they hear that they have to cut down on their food intake but this is not necessarily true. One can lose a sizeable amount of weight and still be eating some of their favorite foods. This is not entirely difficult especially knowing that there are many that are doing that. Let us examine one way one can achieve this.

One way of losing weight without starving themselves is to get as much education as possible. This means going to the Internet and reading as much information as possible on ways in which one can lose weight all while maintaining many of their eating habits. There are weight loss forums which provide a wealth of information to someone looking on how to inject some wisdom into their diet plan. These forums are full of opinions and practical ideals from people who have triumphed over weight gain and this information is invaluable. What makes forums so potent when it comes to the battle against weight gain is that they are interactive. Once you sign up you can easily begin to post opinions of your own and even ask questions.

Another way to lose weight without necessarily starving yourself is to get on an expert diet. A quick search of the Internet reveals that there are many diets, some cheap and some costly that you can get into. The Atkins diet for instance, allows you to continue eating much of the same quantities of food you were eating before but you eliminate most of the culprits of weight gain such as fats and carbohydrates. Reading the labels when shopping also ensures that you buy only that which has low fat and low cabs. This is what is called wise dieting.

By: brown Michael